


bend my will, bend my mind (i’m burning out without your light)

by tinyace



Category: Wicked - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Angst, Other, Pro-Bending, casual smut but they catch feelings how embarrassing for them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:55:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29010153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinyace/pseuds/tinyace
Summary: For the fans in the arena, Glinda and Elphaba are pro-bending rivals. With little knowledge how much plays between them behind closed doors...
Relationships: Elphaba Thropp/Galinda Upland
Comments: 15
Kudos: 45





	bend my will, bend my mind (i’m burning out without your light)

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, can’t claim one-shots and smut are no longer my thing. Yikes. Have fun with the tension.

It was nearing dusk when Glinda was in the training gym, rapidly hitting earth disks into a net. Milla and Shenshen, her teammates, had retreated half an hour early to rest up for their match tonight. But Glinda couldn’t stop training. There was a frustration inside of her that could not find any release.

The quarter-finals were tonight and she was determined to win. For three years her team had fought in the pro-bending arena and made it to the finals twice, both times lost to the Twisted Dragons. They were a team not to mess with. The broad-shouldered waterbender Fiyero was an absolute beast on the field, and had won the Best Waterbender title twice in a row. Their earthbender, Boq, was the weakest link of the group, but his small physique made for some excellent dodging skills. Knocking him off the ring was nearly impossible. And lastly...

Glinda’s cheeks burnt as the Twisted Dragons’ firebender came to mind. This time she wouldn’t lose. The disks crashed into the net harder than intended and threads of rope snapped. “Crap…”

She panted and walked closer to inspect the net. As long as she aimed at different spots, she could probably spare herself the hassle of changing it and continue to use it for today’s session. She made a mental note to let the owner know of the damaged net (it happened often, but Toza preferred it over broken walls) and went back to hitting more disks.

Just as she was getting into a rhythm, a voice called out to her. “Still here, huh?”

Glinda dropped her stance. The disks she was bending crashed into the ground. Her heart thumped in her throat as she looked over to see the all too familiar shade of green. Elphaba looked fit. Their long black hair was tight up in a practical bun and the emblem of the Twisted Dragons printed proudly on their shirt.

“Why are you here?”

“Do some light warm-up before the match.” Elphaba swung their bag over their shoulder. “You _do_ remember this gym is accessible to all pro-benders, right?”

She rolled her eyes. “Just don’t distract me.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Glinda went back to her training, but found her eyes wandering over to Elphaba’s direction more than once. They hadn’t even begun their firebending warm-up. Instead, Elphaba was wrapping some leather gloves around their arms, blatantly watching her.

With balled up fists, Glinda smashed the disks into the ground and finally snapped: “ _What?!_ ”

“Your body’s too tense,” Elphaba said matter-of-factly. “I know you earthbenders can be rigid, but your form is terrible. You’ll be kicked out of the ring in seconds if you go into your match like that.”

Glinda huffed and bended the disks back up in the air. “Always the critic.”

“Contrary to what you might think, I’m trying to help.” Elphaba used their teeth to pull their glove tighter, and Glinda did her level best not to focus on that detail.

“Like I need your help.”

Elphaba shrugged. “Suit yourself, Upland.”

They finally stopped paying attention to her and started stretching, every now and then shooting fire out of their fists, their muscles toning their body handsomely every single time. The earth disks Glinda was bending before hadn’t stirred off the ground for a full minute.

“You know, we can speed up this process for once,” Elphaba said, without looking at her.

Glinda’s cheeks flushed. “You’re awfully sure of yourself.”

“Perhaps.” Elphaba jumped up and walked towards her. “Are you saying you don’t want to? Still too afraid of your true feelings?”

“We agreed no feelings.”

Elphaba stepped dangerously close. “Is that a yes?”

Her breath staggered as the temptation—one she had not been able to resist for two years—was once again within her grasp. Their lips were so close that Glinda had to stop herself before she was too far gone.

“Not here,” she muttered, making Elphaba roll their eyes. Glinda yanked them in the supply room and locked the door behind them.

“Take your shirt off,” Glinda commanded them. Now that there was no risk of being discovered, she was a lot more comfortable being in control.

“So demanding,” Elphaba chastised her.

“I like my eye candy,” Glinda said as she pulled off their shirt. There was a light sweat on Elphaba’s body from the workout and Glinda let her hands trail from their shoulders all the way to their abs.

Elphaba got close to her ear and whispered: “You can admit you like me any time, Upland.”

She dropped her hands immediately. “Don’t get cocky, I just like the way you get me off.”

“Your boyfriend can’t do the job, hm?”

“Stop talking,” Glinda said and pulled them in a kiss. There was no way in hell she was going to be thinking about her boyfriend when she finally had Elphaba in her arms.

Restlessness settled into her bones and Glinda got rid of her own top and bra. Elphaba lifted her up so she could sit on a cart with stacked up floor matts, and stepped between her legs. Their hands moved down and unbuttoned her trousers. Glinda felt herself itching for them to be closer, but Elphaba’s hands stayed put on her hips while kissing her neck.

“Kwong’s Cuisine,” Elphaba muttered between kisses. “You and me, tomorrow at seven.”

“That’s too fancy a place to have a quick fuck, Elphie.”

“I wasn’t thinking about that, exactly.”

Glinda’s stomach dropped and pushed them away, shocked at what they had asked. Elphaba stood their sheepishly for a moment, their pupils unfocused, then a smirk. “Can’t even take a joke, huh?”

A knot both twisted and untwisted itself in her stomach, and Glinda forced a laugh. “You’re awful. Now finish what you started.”

Elphaba stepped back, but their hand was infuriatingly not where Glinda wanted it the most. The kisses grew rougher and Elphaba surprised her when they nibbled on her lip. She felt herself grow hot all over when a sharp sting jolted through her body; Elphaba bit her lip, hard.

Glinda pulled back as tasted the drop of blood on her lips. “Elphie, what the hell!”

“Tell me to stop any time, Upland,” they grinned.

Damn, their smile was hot. “Just… no biting. I got a match in an hour.”

“Hm,” Elphaba inched closer, “Does that mean I have permission for it next time?”

“Depends...” Glinda locked eyes with them, their teasing had gone long enough. She took their hand and guided it across her neck, the tip of her breast, her waist, all the way inside her underwear. “... On how well you perform today.”

***

_“IT’S A KNOCK-OUT!”_

The bell rang across the stadium and the crowd went wild. Glinda threw her fists in the air and embraced the wave of cheers and the chanting of her name.

_“Unbelievable folks! Glinda of the Golden Serpents single handedly striked down two of her opponents down to the drink, leading her team to the semi-finals! What a performance! If this is the standard she’s setting for this tournament we can expect incredible things from the young earthbender!”_

Milla and Shenshen were brought back up by the lift and ran up to Glinda and tackled her into a hug.

“I thought we were done for!” Milla shouted in her ear.

Glinda laughed. “Told you I needed that extra practice.”

“You better share your secret next time, girl!” Shenshen chimed in. “Your movements were as carefree as a crowned champion.”

Her neck heated up at the thought, but luckily her helmet covered it. “Just felt in the zone this match.”

The referee gestured to them to move off the field so it could get cleared for the next match. Loud applause echoed through the arena as they waved at the crowd and went back to the waiting area.

The next team was already readying themselves and Glinda cursed under her breath when she recognized the purple and black colours of the Twisted Dragons.

“Great,” Shenshen muttered sarcastically as she took off her helmet. “ _Those_ assholes are here.”

“Chin up, girls,” Glinda said just before the automated walkway connected to the main area. “We won _our_ match, they still have to play theirs.”

The _thunk_ of the walkway announced they had arrived and they entered the waiting area.

“Quite the match you had there, ladies. Had some good plays,” Fiyero complimented them.

He meant what he said, but a player as good as him took far better notice of their bad plays, and took advantage of it in a real match.

“Thanks Fiyero,” Glinda said nice enough. “Best of luck out there.”

“We don’t need luck,” Boq piped up. “Not if you got strategy.”

“It’s just a formality to say before a match,” Shenshen groaned. “I’m out. Need to do my stretches. Girls?”

“With you,” Milla said.

“I want to see this match.” Glinda’s eyes shifted over to Elphaba, who hadn’t said a word since they had arrived. “I’ll catch up afterwards.”

Milla and Shenshen nodded and headed out. Elphaba stood in front of a locker with their back turned against the group, their nimble green fingers pulling the red belt into a knot.

Glinda loosened her helmet and walked over to them, and when she knew she was in their eyesight, pulled off the helmet and tossed her golden curls for good measure. Elphaba was definitely paying attention to her now.

“What’d you think?” She asked as she leaned against the locker, her helmet planted on her thigh.

“Not bad, Upland.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “A double knock-out is _not bad_? Just admit you’re impressed.”

“Isn’t that what I just said?”

Glinda huffed. “You can stand to say it more nicely.”

“My bad,” Elphaba said and they took a step closer. “Should I chant along the crowd then?”

“At least they know true skill when they see it. When was the last time a full stadium chanted _your_ name?”

“Don’t need a crowd. Had a girl whimper my name an hour ago,” Elphaba said with an arrogant smile and Glinda turned beet red. “Far more intoxicating.”

They walked off the same moment the door opened and Avaric finally showed up.

“Babe, there you are!” He said and wrapped her in his arms.

Glinda pulled at his collar and brought him down into a passionate kiss. Thrown off by her sudden aggression, Avaric took a beat to find his rhythm. Not that it mattered; if it came down to sudden make outs, he was an eager participant. Glinda swirled them around to get a better position. She opened her eyes and stared right at Elphaba, who watched the affectionate display through clenched teeth.

 _This is payback_ , Glinda warned them with her eyes and draped her arm across Avaric’s neck, kissing him deeper. She could taste the cherry lipstick of another girl’s still lingering on his lips. He must’ve left in a hurry, because he usually was a lot better at wiping off all evidence. Glinda drew out the long kiss with a happy sigh.

“Did you see the match?” She said as she clung to him.

“Don’t need to watch to know my girl did incredible.”

A snort came from the room and it was obvious it had come from Elphaba.

Avaric disentangled himself and turned around. “Something the matter, green stalk?”

“She showed incredible skill and talent on the field today. No doubt that final strike goes down in history as the best of this season. You’re her boyfriend and you don’t even have the decency to show up?”

“You got a lot of talk for someone who isn’t minding their own business,” Avaric challenged them.

“Avaric, calm down.” Glinda held him back. But her heart was rapidly booming in her chest at the downright _praise_ Elphaba had given her without a hint of irony.

“Elphaba,” Fiyero nudged them away from the building tension. “Keep your head clear. We’re about to start.”

As if on cue, the announcer’s voice boomed through the stadium: _“Ladies and gentle friends! Introducing your two-year reigning champions: The Twisted Dragons!_ ”

Before putting on their helmet, Elphaba held eye contact with Glinda for just a beat. The look was so filled with raw emotion, Glinda couldn’t bear to look at it. And just like that, they were gone.

***

It was early afternoon when there was a knock on Elphaba’s apartment door.

“One second,” they yelled and did one more pull up on the horizontal bar. On the stool next to the bar laid a towel they used to dry off any sweat. They swung the towel over their shoulder and opened the door.

“Upland?” Elphaba said surprised.

“Elphie!” Glinda said delighted, ogling them. “Already preparing for tonight’s match I see.”

A bit self-conscious for only wearing a tanktop and some shorts, they crossed their arms. “So should you.”

“That’s why I’m here, aren’t I?” Glinda said and she leaned against the doorframe, knowing exactly the effect it would have. “Maybe we can do a similar routine as last week?”

Elphaba hesitated. It would be so easy to give in to their desires. Surely they had done so many times in the past, but at the end of that line they had only found a broken heart.

“C’mon,” Glinda said and slowly slid their towel off their shoulder. “You’re like my lucky charm, Elphie.”

“No kidding. I take half the credit for your win last week.”

She scoffed and smacked their shoulder with the towel. “Excuse you? I believe _I_ was the one bending in that ring.”

Elphaba laughed. “Are you kidding me? In gym you were bending like a plank! You would’ve been down the drink with the rest of your team if I hadn’t done you a favour.”

“I believe I returned that favour,” Glinda reminded them, and quirked an eyebrow. “So? What will it be?”

“Fine,” they gave in. “I’ll be your lucky charm for another week. But this time you got to earn it.”

“Oh?” Glinda’s nails trailed down their top. “What did you have in mind?”

“You wish, Upland. We’re going out.”

“Out?”

“Yep. Just need to change real quick.” Elphaba let Glinda inside and gestured at the couch. “You can wait there.”

Their loft had an half floor where their bed was, that could be accessed by a ladder. Since they lived alone, Elphaba didn’t mind the open floor plan. Though now they had two greedy eyes watching them undress.

“Sure you don’t need any help?” Glinda called suavely from downstairs. She had felt welcome enough to lay down on the couch.

“Nice try.” Elphaba pulled a sweater over their head. “I wasn’t joking before. We’re going outside for once.”

Glinda crossed her legs and pouted. “But outside we can’t do the fun stuff we normally do.”

“That’s your rule, not mine.”

“Hm, true,” Glinda said and then let her eyes glide over their body from top to bottom. “At least for now I got the house seat.”

Elphaba flushed. Then, their cheeks turned a deeper green when they realized they still had to switch pants.

“Nothing you haven’t seen before,” they tried to shrug it off, mostly as a reminder to themself.

“Doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the show.”

Holy crap, Glinda wasn’t messing around. Even with their underwear on, Elphaba felt a lot more exposed than whenever they had stood naked in front of her. They quickly threw on some pants and shoes and climbed downstairs.

“Ready to go?” Elphaba said as they grabbed their coat and put on a yellow knitted hat.

“Adorable.” Glinda touched the wool fabric and smiled. “Knew you had a soft side.”

“It’s just to keep my ears warm.”

“Whatever you say.”

They walked outside the apartment building, where a cold winter breeze greeted them. A light snowfall started to cover the streets in a white cloak.

“We’re outside now. What is it you wanted to do?”

“I like taking a walk in the City Park. Thought you could join me for a change.”

“That’s it?” Glinda asked surprised. “All I have to do is walk with you?”

Elphaba laughed. “You really think I’d take advantage of you? There used to be a time we did a lot more than stripping each other naked.”

“I remember.” She dug her hands in her coat.

“How’s your family?”

“Still homophobic, if that’s why you’re asking. Haven’t seen them in a while. I keep meaning to visit, but… I can’t be bothered, if I’m honest.” The coy tone in her voice was no longer detectable, and a rare vulnerability had slipped in.

“I get it. Frex still refuses to acknowledge my existence after I came out to him. Fourteen years old and kicked out. Must be some kind of record.”

“Still no contact, huh?”

“Nessa somehow managed to find out my address. I’ve been secretly exchanging letters with her for a few months now. She made me this hat.”

Glinda smiled and tugged playfully at the knitted hat. “See? Adorable.”

Elphaba’s smile turned back into a frown. “I haven’t been able to see her in over seven years. Can you believe it? She must have grown so much and I missed it all.”

“You used to keep a photograph of her in your wallet, didn’t you?”

“Still do,” Elphaba said and took out their wallet. “I finally got to update the picture. See?”

They proudly presented a photograph with a somewhat smiling Nessarose in her wheelchair, Shell on her lap—definitely growing too tall to be in that position—and a disembodied arm resting on top of Nessa’s shoulders, right where the photograph was folded.

“She has grown a lot,” Glinda agreed and then let her fingers trail over the fold. “It really leaves a scar, doesn’t it?”

“If he doesn’t want me as his family, I don’t want him as mine,” Elphaba said sternly and put the wallet back in their pocket.

“You didn’t cut him out,” Glinda observed.

“Doesn’t matter,” Elphaba muttered and left the topic alone.

They made their way into the park, which was an astonishing sight in the fresh snow. Only a few other souls had braced the cold. Elphaba took the path that would give them the most amount of privacy.

“I haven’t been here in ages,” Glinda said as she looked around in awe. “I really ought to visit more often.”

“You can always join me,” Elphaba prompted.

“No, Avaric would get too suspicious of us. He’s surprisingly jealous for a guy who has slept with half the girls in Republic City by now.”

“Why you’re still with that guy is beyond me.”

“He throws my parents off their scent, and he’s quite low maintenance for a boyfriend. I barely see him.”

“Because he spends his time fucking other girls,” they muttered.

“It’s not like I’ve exactly been faithful, Elphie.”

Elphaba stopped dead in their tracks. “Are you seriously comparing what we’ve had for two years with the hundreds of nameless girls he’s slept with? There’s no equality there, Upland.”

“Quality over quantity,” Glinda countered, and she gave them a teasing wink.

They bit the inside of their cheek. “Don’t say that,” and walked off.

The storming footprints of Glinda quickly followed behind, and she grabbed their coat, spinning them around. Elphaba got pulled down and felt Glinda’s freezing lips pressing against theirs.

For as long as it lasted—which was far too short to begin with—Elphaba gave in. Their heart unfolded like it had never dared before. Giving into the fantasy that maybe, _just maybe_ , this time would be different. That the way they kissed her finally revealed to Glinda how deeply they cared, how long they had wanted her to kiss them like she meant it. Like Elphaba had meant every kiss they had ever given to her.

Alas, they knew it was not meant to be. Nothing had changed. Elphaba stopped. They left their eyes shut for just a moment longer, if only to linger on a reality that could not be.

“Please Glinda,” Elphaba begged against her lips. “Don’t do this to me.”

“Do what?”

They had to take a step back from her. It became too painful. “Sneaking around was fun at first, hot even. But now you’re just toying with me.”

“No, I’m not.” Glinda stared at them in disbelief. “Nothing has changed.”

Elphaba clenched their teeth. “Exactly.”

Before they could walk away, Glinda grabbed them by the shoulders. “I-I don’t understand. We agreed–”

“ _You_ agreed,” they bit back bitterly, a lump forming in their throat. “You honestly think I don’t have feelings for you? Are you really that self-absorbed you haven’t noticed how head over heels in _love_ I’ve been with you?!”

Glinda’s eyes grew wide, her feet nailed to the ground.

“I have watched day after day how you hide yourself. How you force yourself in this mold, because people expect you to be a certain way. The parts that are the most interesting, groundbreaking, thought-provoking, and downright sexiest about you! And I thought to myself, if I can show her even an ounce of how amazing I think she really is, the _real_ her, maybe she starts believing in it too.”

They shook their head. “All this time, I figured you just needed some time to accept yourself. And I have _waited_ , Glinda. Waited patiently for you to be ready and accept your feelings for me, but,” they took a deep breath. “Now I see I’ve waited for naught.”

“Elphie, don’t,” Glinda reached out to them, tears stinging in her eyes. “Don’t leave me like this, _please_.”

“You have to let me go, Glinda,” Elphaba said and shrugged off her arm. “If I keep pushing down my feelings for your sake, I’ll implode.”

They turned to walk away from her, but Glinda grabbed them once more, pulling them into another kiss. Elphaba didn’t linger this time, and pushed her away.

“Don’t,” they warned her coldly. “Find another puppet for your games. I’m done being your lucky charm.”

***

_“And there goes Glinda down the drink again! She has really been tasting that water this match. Lucky for her, Shenshen and Milla are picking up the pieces to keep the Golden Serpents afloat in this nail-biting semi-final.”_

Glinda let out a frustrated grunt and hit the surface of the water with the palm of her hand, making the water splash around her.

“Get it together, girl,” she scolded herself.

With a quick breast stroke she was back on solid ground and stepped onto the metal lift. She was just in time to hear the whistle blow, announcing the time limit of the final round had ended. Dread fell over her when she realized the match wasn’t over yet. Their opponent, the Badgermoles, had exactly two players on the field in the same zones as Milla and Shenshen were on their side.

_“Isn’t this exciting, folks? Both teams have won a round and are completely tied in this final round. This means we are in a rousing tiebreaker face-off! It is up to a coin toss to decide which team may choose the element!”_

Glinda, and the fallen waterbender of the Badgermoles resumed their places on the field.

Milla quickly bended out any remaining water still soaking Glinda’s uniform.

“What’s with you?” She whispered heatedly, as she let the water flow back to the water down the ring. “I’ve never seen you fall off the ring three times in a single match.”

“Back off, Milla,” she hissed back. “I _know_ , alright?”

“If we lose this match, it’s because of you!”

The referee tossed the coin, and Glinda knew she was done for when the coin flipped blue—the Badgermoles’ colour.

_“The Plunderin’ Badgermoles seem to have chosen the element of Earth for the face-off! Serpents fans better hope the earthbender can find back whatever mojo she has lost since her incredible performance in the quarter-finals. Or it will be done-zo with the Serpents before they can face their long-standing rivals: the Twisted Dragons!”_

The tiny platform raised up and Glinda got eye to eye with her opponent. Targeting the weakest player in a face-off was a strategy Glinda’s team had used plenty of times, but to be the target for once was a new form of humiliation.

Glinda tried to clear her mind and focus on what was ahead of her. She was a professional athlete for crying out loud! Silly personal conflicts shouldn’t impact her performance so much. But all that came to mind was Elphaba. Elphaba in the snow. Elphaba, who had looked so broken. Who had the audacity to tell her they loved her, and leave her in that very same breath.

_Ding ding._

The bell announced the start of the face-off and Glinda wasn’t ready for the two disk attack that was aimed at her. She stumbled to the edge. One more step and she would fall, and their road to victory would end there.

Glinda let out a scream and pushed through, shooting a messy first disk at her opponent. If she wasn’t able to push Elphaba out of her mind, she might as well use that pain as fuel. One more win until the finals, until the Golden Serpents would face the Twisted Dragons once again. And this time, Glinda swore to herself she was going to win. If only so she could knock Elphaba off that ring. If only so she could hurt them the way they had hurt her.

Her opponent grappled her, but Glinda broke free, launching a sneaky disk right where he was about to step. The man lost his balance and Glinda landed the final blow right in his stomach, knocking him off the ring.

_“WHAT A COMEBACK! Just when it seemed Glinda of the Golden Serpents was on her last leg, she managed a tactical shot and won the game!”_

Glinda didn’t register the applause, the cheers, the chanting. Glares of the opposing team were directed at her, annoyed they had gambled wrong. Then there were the glares of her own team, annoyed it had taken her till the last second to become a real participant in this match. _That_ was what she deserved.

No wonder Elphaba had seen her interest as nothing but a game; she tricked everyone into her favour, making Glinda the star player.

***

She told everyone. After the semi-finals, Glinda didn’t waste a second to dump Avaric, and good riddance to him. Her parents received a phone call. As suspected from rigid earthbenders, they were less than thrilled to hear their only daughter ‘had chosen this path’. With the solemn request not to contact them for a while, Glinda accepted the defeat.

Shenshen and Milla didn’t mind at all and—with the truth finally out—even forgave her for her awful performance during their last match. Glinda couldn’t remember a time in which she had cried so much, or really, had allowed herself to feel so many emotions at all.

Earth was a stubborn element, and earthbenders were known to wait, only striking an attack when the opportunity presented itself. But Glinda had been so focused on listening to the opinion of others, she had completely neglected herself in the process.

By finally opening up, the restlessness inside her quieted down. Her step felt lighter and her head was clearer. Now that the hundreds of pesky little voices no longer clogged her mind, Glinda could focus on what _she_ wanted for once.

Which started with facing Elphaba, both as an opponent in the finals, and as a person whose heart she had thoroughly broken. Win or loss, after the finals she would ask for forgiveness and accept either result for that too.

It had all been perfectly planned inside her head. Until ten minutes before the match, Shenshen brought the news: “We might win by default. That green firebender hasn’t bothered to show up.”

Glinda’s heart dropped. The helmet she was carrying slipped through her fingers and scattered onto the floor. “Elphaba’s not here?”

“No, and I doubt the Twisted Dragons will find a replacement bender so shortly before the match. Butakha is fuming! You should’ve seen him,” Shenshen said as she sat down on the bench. “He’s looking at thousands of tickets that need refunding now. Someone suggested rescheduling the match, but he wants to give us the champion title purely out of spite.”

Milla folded her arms behind her head. “Well, it’s the coward’s way out but after losing the finals to them twice already, I’ll take it.”

“N-No, they can’t be gone. I was going to...” Glinda mumbled as her head was spinning in circles. “Have people started looking for them? Maybe they’re stuck in traffic or–or forgot the time of the match while warming up in the gym…”

“Apparently they already checked the entire arena. Someone even went by their home, but nobody was there. It’s like they vanished.”

“Like hell they are,” Glinda bristled and stormed off.

“Wait–Glin? Where are you going?!”

 _The park._ If they weren’t here and they weren’t at home, obviously they were at the park.

Glinda sprinted out the arena and used the earth beneath her feet to launch herself off the ground, and flung through the streets at high speed. She repeated this process, narrowly missing pedestrians, until she found herself at Republic City Park.

The first path she tried was the one she had walked together a week ago, and surely enough, just as she ran over the wooden bridge, she saw them. Glinda dove in head first, tackling Elphaba. In the struggle, a spark lit up at the tip of their fingers, but then their eyes grew wide with recognition and the spark dimmed.

They tumbled to the ground, their skin scraping against the stone path. Glinda crashed into a park bench, while Elphaba rolled right into a pair of bushes.

“What is _wrong_ with you!” Elphaba shouted. “I nearly shot you full of lightning!”

“Do it,” Glinda said, panting heavily. She tucked her feet under her legs, pressing the scraped palm of her hands against her knees.

“W-What?”

Determined, Glinda stared into their eyes. “I’m sure I’ve hurt you more. So do it.”

Elphaba scoffed. They got up and brushed some rubble off their coat. “You’re crazy.”

“ _You’re_ crazy,” Glinda sneered back. “What kind of athlete doesn’t even show up to the championship finals?!”

“The kind that’s done playing games.”

Just like that, Elphaba walked off into the night. As if it was the easiest choice: to give up without a proper fight.

“Oh, you are _not_ done playing yet!” Glinda pushed herself back up. “I don’t care whether I win or lose, but you do _not_ get to surrender yourself like that!”

Her hand trembled as she bended a patch of dirt into a solid, smudged ball, and chucked it at Elphaba, hitting them right on the head. They halted for a moment, and then pressed on.

“ _Fight me, you coward!_ ” Glinda shouted as she bended whatever piece of rock served as pavement and flung each stone at them. “Hurt me back!”

“Forget it!”

They stopped right there, in the middle of the path, their hands tucked into their coat. Every single hit, they endured.

And Glinda didn’t know whether it hurt more to see Elphaba like this, or that she was the one inflicting the damage. Angry tears clouded her vision and she ran at them. Elphaba didn’t move away, already accepting the attack. Once more they tumbled to the ground. This time, Glinda managed to pin them down. She grabbed them by the collar and pulled them up, so their faces were mere inches away.

“Why won’t you fight for me?!”

Finally, Elphaba pushed back. “I fought for you!”

“No! You didn’t! You loved me in secret and silently resented me for not figuring it out. How is that love?!”

“What about you, huh?!” Elphaba fired back. “Is throwing rocks at me your attempt at a love confession?”

“You didn’t show up! I was going to tell you after our match and you ripped that chance away from me!”

Elphaba’s face fell. “You… you were?”

Glinda grew quiet, she tugged at their collar and then dropped her hands. “I told my parents, and my teammates. Dumped Avaric too.” She cleared her throat. “You were right. I’m sorry I dragged you into my pretend world.”

They touched her cheek. “You know I never needed you to come out to everyone, right? Just to yourself.”

“I know.” She nodded. “But I needed to tell them for my own sake. Stop trying to be everyone's ideal version.”

“And show them the messed up girl you really are?” Elphaba grinned.

“Hey!” Glinda said, but couldn’t suppress her laughter. “No, you’re right. I’m a mess. I wrecked like half the city to get to you.”

They wet their thumb and brushed some dirt off her jaw. “I can tell.”

“Elphie?”

“Yeah?”

“You know I’ve loved you for a long time, right?”

They dropped their hand. “I thought I knew, until I wasn’t so sure anymore.”

“Because I locked it away in the shadows. My love for you burnt so bright I thought I could never handle it in daylight. I’m done hiding now,” she paused and laced their hands together. “Please tell me I’m not too late.”

Elphaba leaned closer and let their lips brush against Glinda’s bruises and scraped skin. Their arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer. They kissed her lips and she kissed them back. They caressed her neck and she trailed her fingers across their shoulders. There was no reply, as the answer was found in those little gestures.

“Never,” they said.


End file.
